At some point last season, there began to be concerns about Cole Caufield’s performance.
He had collected “only” 27 points in the first 40 games of the season (including eleven goals), and he found himself at the heart of some criticism.
For example, Martin Lemay (BPM Sports) said on the radio that the attacker was timid, that he was not involved, that he did not make defensive withdrawals… And he went on to say that Caufield was a burden for Nick Suzuki and that he was dragging the captain down.
Martin Lemay was harsh in his analysis, but at that moment, he was right.
Because the man we like to call “Ti-Cole” looked like a tourist more often than not on the ice and that was a problem.
But there, after just one match of the 24-25 season, Martin Lemay returned to the charge.
Comment ?
Saying that Nick Suzuki will become a better hockey player when he no longer has to play with “a ball like Cole Caufield”:
When he no longer has a ball like Cole Caufield to play against the best opposing lines, he (Suzuki) will be even better. –Martin Lemay
He shared these comments while Mathias Brunet was in the studio for his column of the day on the return show:
There are two ways of looking at things.
The first?
It’s true that Cole Caufield is a one-dimensional player.
He’s not the biggest guy on the ice, he’s not the most responsible guy in his zone and even though he has undeniable offensive talent, these are shortcomings that remain evident.
The second?
Last year, Cole Caufield did not have his best season. It took a while for him to get off the machine and this can perhaps be explained by the fact that he was coming off a major shoulder operation.
He didn’t play with the confidence of the Caufield we usually know… And Nick Suzuki still finished the season with 77 points in 82 games, his career best for a single campaign.
That said, I believe that we must give the runner a chance. He’s in great shape at the moment (we saw him last night)… and he’s only 23 years old.
Besides, Martin St-Louis is working with him to help him improve defensively and that’s what I find interesting, especially: being good offensively can’t be learned.
Being good defensively, on the other hand… That’s another story.
Caufield will never have the physique to finish a season with a thousand hits (you’ll understand that I’m exaggerating a bit), but he still has time to improve defensively.
The same thing was said about Martin St-Louis when he made his debut in the National League, with the Flames! On the other hand, he made the efforts to improve and now he is well installed in the Hall of Fame.
I’m not saying that Caufield will definitely make the Temple if he improves defensively… But if Martin St-Louis was able to correct his own deficiencies, why wouldn’t that be the case with Caufield?
This is why, in my eyes, Caufield must continue to play on the first line. And who knows… Maybe by playing with the captain (who is very responsible on the ice) Caufield will learn things!
In burst
– That’s for sure.
– A first career game in the NHL for the Leafs goalie.
– Come on boys!
– This explains it.
Related News :